Study Material: Jonah 1: 14-17 14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah, hurled him into the sea, the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly……. 17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nightsToday’s Teaching: If there was any man in the Bible who did not have peace, it was Jonah. But did Jonah deserve to suffer? We know the story, but to recap, God sent Jonah on a mission to warn the people of Nineveh. Jonah refused. He ran away and joined some seamen on their boat to Tarshish. A great unusual rumbling of the winds and seas happened, and the seamen knew that it was not ordinary. They tried to understand why, and they questioned each other. The conclusion was to ask this stranger on their boat. Jonah confessed that he was running from carrying out God’s instruction. With that, they knew he was their problem, and he asked them to throw him into the sea (v14). When they did, God sent a big fish that swallowed Jonah for 3 days (v17). Nineveh were a people who were sinning greatly and God was unhappy with them. He asked Jonah to go to them and warn them to turn away from their wicked ways. But Jonah did not want to be bothered with that assignment. He refused and decided to run in the opposite direction. God says that we should continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering(Heb 13:3). Nineveh was in spiritual bondage. They needed the help of God and God identified the right person to use, but that person refused. He did not have empathy on Nineveh. What was the result? He lost his peace. The teachings of this month are geared towards the pursuit of peace. We cannot have true peace if we live in unforgiveness. We cannot have true peace if we lack empathy for others. The world is in chaos today because people refuse to forgive each other and very few people care for plight and problems of others.Take Home Lesson: Christmas celebrates the birth of the Prince of Peace. What have you refused to do for others that could have brought freedom, peace and joy to them?Homework: Ask God to give you the heart to care for others and feel their pains. Ask God to use you to be a blessing to others and reduce the pains and sufferings of this world.